


12 Months Back

by GalaxyGazing



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Anger, Emotional Hurt, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 08:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4600188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyGazing/pseuds/GalaxyGazing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last year leading up to Earth’s surrender, told in reverse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	12 Months Back

  
  
  
_“This is the way the world ends: Not with a bang, but a whimper.”  - T.S. Eliot,1925_

 

 

-

 

 

Earth loses the battle on March 18, 2009.

There is no tangible disaster, no suffocating famine, no sudden splintering of asphalt nor crumbling cities.

There is no catastrophe to mark the moment and therefore no rippling fear to tear screams through the masses.

The definitive moment is felt not by many, but by one.  
  
The Earth surrenders slowly and so, so quietly.

All hope is lost when the planet’s last defender lays his head in the crook of his enemy’s neck and let’s himself be vulnerable.

A sob shakes through Dib Membrane but it is given no voice.

“I know,” Zim says, because he does.  
  
Everything ends, quietly.

 

 

_-_

 

 

With Febraury comes the message that destroys not a planet, but a personal world.

“You can’t mean that. Surely this is…a test? A test of my loyalty?”

Zim’s own voice is foreign to him. For a creature that had only known disillusioned confidence, to become aware of his own doubt was terrifying.

His tall leaders glare down at him from the large monitor, expressions seething, demeanor exhausted,

“No, Zim. We can’t allow you to embarrass our empire any longer. This is the last transmission you will receive.”

The visual crackles to gray snow and the audio fills the silence with a rude _shhhh._

Zim is abandoned, unceremoniously.

The only thing worse than failing one’s mission is realizing no one ever had enough faith in you to give you a mission at all.

But more painfully than that, he is alone.

 

 

-

 

 

In January, Professor Membrane promises to take Dib stargazing.

It is the first time since Dib was in single digits that his father took time from work to do something with him. Dib is now 18 and The professor let him choose what they would do.

The telescope and star charts are in the trunk. That is where they remain for the entire trip.

When the car stops in front of a too-white building instead of the local observatory, Dib asks why they are here.

“Son, I just feel that maybe…if you had someone to talk to…”

The car door slams hard behind Dib and he shoves his fists in his pockets as he starts down the sidewalk. Membrane follows him in the car slowly for a few feet trying to rationalize why he disguised the trip.

Finally, Dib turns down an alley and Membrane eventually drives home.

It must be so frustrating for the professor. He could find a scientific cure for everything except his son.

Dib walks up a hill that overlooks the city. Somewhere in that town a therapist was upset that he lost money on a no-show appointment today.

Dib looks at the stars by himself that night and cries.

 

 

-

 

 

December marks three months since the last time Zim had contact with The Tallest. As invaders are expected to do monthly reports, Zim decides he will try once more to get his transmission through.

His two leaders stare at him always like they are impatiently waiting for the punchline of a joke he has not yet started telling. Fortunately, Zim never notices.

“I believe I am getting close to overtaking this race!” Zim lies, without knowing he is lying, “When, may I ask, are you planning on having the Armada arrive?”

One of his leaders huffs an almost-laugh, “Yeah, we’ll get back to you on that.”

The transmission ends.

Zim fails to notice any red flags.

 

 

-

 

 

November.

A fist cracks into Dib’s face. His inner lip is bleeding red, oxidized blood; his nose is leaking the heavier, black blood.

“That’s the last time we trust you with anything,” A particularly stocky classmate growls.

Dib had been part of a group assignment. As his partners were less than disinterested in doing any research, Dib thought he might try to get on their good sides by offering to do the entire project.

Unfortunately, though well researched and thorough, a self-conducted study on alien sightings did not fall under the teacher’s idea of “Significant Current Events” and it was thusly marred with an F.

Because Dib’s partners already were already terrible students, a failing grade meant they were one step closer the summer school.

As their shadows clear out of his peripheral vision, Dib sees Zim watching him off to the side.

Naturally, Zim doesn't say anything nor help him up, but he isn’t laughing as per usual. He isn't even smiling.

The inconspicuous invader was just as appalled that Dib’s own race turned on him as Dib was.

 

 

-

 

 

October.

Halloween is cold and empty.

Zim abhors the human holiday. He’d learned over seven Earth years of effort that this one particular day could be spared of his attempts to conquer.

The thought makes him pause. It's been seven years since he had come to Earth.

Not much had changed. For the very first time he wonders if that is a reflection of his efforts but dismisses the thought promptly.

He counted change not by time, but by smaller, more present things.

He noticed that Dib had gotten taller since they had met and, despite what had happened between them, they were each still fighting a war for Earth’s salvation or annihilation.

Zim supposed some things would always be constant.

 

 

-

 

  
  
September.   
  
“Jesus, just…”

Dib huffs, angrily. They’re both frustrated and can’t pinpoint the source exactly, but that doesn’t stop them from clawing at clothing.

Zim has Dib up against the wall of his lab and they’re breathing so hard it’s difficult for him to concentrate on the instructions Dib is trying to give.

“It’s not that different, here.”

Zim hisses when the brief anatomy lesson ends abruptly and Dib has them both in his hand, working them together, slowly.

They’re both perfectly torn, not knowing whether they want to press closer to or kill each other.

Their bodies decide for them when the pace increases and Zim starts thrusting into Dib’s hand, hiss crecendoing to a growl before devolving into a whimper.

Their legs shake and the whole ordeal is sloppy at best, but eventually they both spill over.

Zim’s hands are clenched so tightly in the chest of Dib’s trench coat that they’re trembling. Even after it’s over, it takes a while for him to notice and remove them.

They part so much slower than they came together.

“We needed that,” Zim finally admits, “But I still fucking hate you.”

 

 

-

 

  
  
August.

Dib thinks he may be becoming closer with his father.

The professor has not asked about Dib’s paranormal obsessions of a while now, which Dib takes as a sign that he is becoming more accepting.

When he was younger, it seemed like every week his father would encourage him toward the life of a scientist. Now, things were quiet.

Quiet was probably good, Dib supposed.

 

 

-

 

 

July.

Summer is hot and Zim hates it.

Possibly even more annoying than the weather was the fact that school was still out. While this meant more time for his work, it also meant that Dib was free to hound him more hours of the day.

One afternoon, the accursed human actually makes it through the front door. Zim manages to destroy the camera he had brought, but the struggle doesn’t end there.

They toss and fight and grab until they fall, bruising their knees and scrambling on the hard tile to regain the upper hand.

Dib rolls until he pins his aggressor, but somewhere in the rush of it all, his knee is wedged wedged between Zim legs. The jolt of Zim’s hips giving a sharp buck shocks them both into momentary stillness.

Dib recovers first, hands immediately going for Zim’s throat, but Zim grinds on him twice more, seemingly unable to control himself.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dib asks, mortified.

Taking advantage of Dib’s confusion, Zim throws a splintering punch which causes Dib’s nose to pour like a faucet and his glasses to shatter.

Freeing himself from beneath him, Zim stands shakily to his feet, any embarrassment masked by hatred,

“Get out of my house.”

 

 

-

 

June.

Another school year ends for Dib. Come August, he would be a senior. Despite all his best efforts, Zim was still on Earth and, worse, in most of his classes.

How did he let this happen?

All that time go by, he means, and the alien still took residence on this planet. He supposed this represented both of their failures.

But this was far from over, from both of their perspectives.

 

 

-

 

 

May.

As the teacher drones on, Zim swears that this year he is going to try harder than ever to conquer Earth.

He’d been here too long as it was.

The Tallest were counting on him.

 

 

-

 

 

April.

Dib closes his laptop and turns off the lamp on his desk.

Quietly, he wonders if he’s making any difference.

Running a hand through his hair, he closes his tired eyes.

“I can't give up on Earth," he sighs, "I'm all it's got."

 

 

-

 

The End


End file.
